This is an amazing claim and actually I’ve had a few similar to this over the years. The dealer sold a nylon Berber carpet to this customer about 6 years ago. The complaint is for a very fine gritty dust the consumer is seeing on the tops of her furniture in one bedroom. The carpet is installed throughout the home but only this one room is exhibiting the dust. The dealer inspected the carpet and said it looks great and he could see nothing that would make him question a problem with the carpet. The dealer said the consumer told him the gritty dust is hard for a few days and then gets soft like the carpet. While he was in the home he noticed that there were places on the ceiling where the drywall had been patched. When he mentioned this to the consumer she said she did have to replace some of the ductwork in the home but that it was not in that room.
Let’s look at this logically. First, if there were in fact a problem with the carpet where a gritty dust was being generated by it, it would likely be from a breakdown of latex in the backing somehow releasing from the carpet, becoming airborne and landing on the furniture. It would be most obvious in the rooms with the most traffic and it would be everywhere the carpet was installed. Second, carpet is a trap – the particles would be seen it it. Things will fall on carpet and get trapped in it so the likelihood of something being generated by the carpet and becoming airborne is slim. Particulate matter coming from the carpet could also be caused by the fiber degrading and breaking down creating a fine dust like substance that could become airborne. This too would be all over and not from one room and if this was the case the carpet would look different because the fiber would actually be decomposing and wearing out, or breaking off, in traffic areas. Lastly, anything that may be coming from the carpet, whether it is latex or fiber would not start out hard and get soft. It would remain in the same physical state and not undergo a transformation into another form of matter; that would be impossible.
No, the cause for this concern has to be isolated to the room where the condition is being experienced. Therefore we have to look in that room to determine what, in fact, is the cause. Since there was work on the drywall and drywall material can be hard and when touch, pressed on or crushed, it gets soft or powdery, it is likely the cause. Nothing in carpet will do the same thing.
The dilemma this dealer is facing is that the customer is the property manager for a real estate firm he sells to and he feels if he does not help her it will jeopardize business. This would be tantamount to extortion since, as we’ve stated, it is not possible for the carpet to be causing the concern. After six years he is also well beyond any reasonable consideration he may feel compelled to offer as a justification for an irrational complaint.
I mentioned in opening that I’ve seen similar situations where a dust was coming from the carpet and I’ll explain. In one case there was a blue tint appearing in a light colored carpet and the end user thought the carpet was somehow changing its appearance. When the carpet was analyzed and looked at under magnification small blue particulate matter could be seen trapped in the fibers creating a subtle blue tint. When the carpet was pulled up a synthetic fiber pad was found beneath it that had a blue tint applied to its surface. Traffic on the carpet had caused the tint to breakdown and migrate up into the carpet yarn causing the problem. The solution in this case was to replace the cushion and pile lift the carpet to remove the particles. In another case the latex was breaking down in the back of the carpet, coming up into the face yarn and some of it was getting airborne – this was an extreme and rare case. If latex does break down on the carpet backing, as it often will when high filler loads are used, it will stay beneath the carpet because it is too big to come through to the face and it is too heavy to float around in the air.
Remember if you have a question or concern contact us. We can help you.
Author: Lewis G. Migliore
LGM and Associates – The Floorcovering Experts